“综合英语”课程第三学期英语阅读训练 材料提供人：张少林
Reading Material_3-19
Seven Ways to Save the World
Forget the old idea that conserving energy is a form of self denial — riding bicycles, dimming the lights, and taking fewer showers. These days conservation is all about efficiency: getting the same—or better—results from just a fraction of the energy. When a slump in business travel forced Ulrich Romer to cut costs at his family owned hotel in Germany, he replaced hundreds of the hotel’s wasteful light bulbs, getting the same light for 80 percent less power. He bought a new water boiler with a digitally controlled pump, and wrapped insulation around the pipes. Spending about 100,000 on these and other improvements, he slashed his 90,000 fuel and power bill by 60,000. As a bonus, the hotel’s lower energy needs have reduced its annual carbon emissions by more than 200 metric tons. “For us, saving energy has been very, very profitable,” he says. “And most importantly, we’re not giving up a single comfort for our guests.”
Efficiency is also a great way to lower carbon emissions and help slow global warming. But the best argument for efficiency is its cost—or, more precisely, its profitability. That’s because quickly growing energy demand requires immense investment in new supply, not to mention the drain of rising energy prices.
No wonder efficiency has moved to the top of the political agenda. On Jan. 10, the European Union unveiled a plan to cut energy use across the continent by 20 percent by 2020. Last March, China imposed a 20 percent increase in energy efficiency by 2020. Even Greorge W. Bush, the Texas oilman, is expected to talk about energy conservation in his State of the Union speech this week.
The good news is that the world is full of proven, cheap ways to save energy. Here are the seven that could have the biggest impact:
Insulate
Space heating and cooling eats up 36 percent of all the world’s energy. There’s virtually no limit to how much of that can be saved, as prototype “zero energy homes” in Switzerland and Germany have shown. There’s been a surge in new ways of keeping heat in and cold out (or vice versa). The most advanced insulation follows the law of increasing returns: if you add enough, you can scale down or even eliminate heating and air conditioning equipment, lowering costs even before you start saving on utility bills. Studies have shown that green workplaces (ones that don’t constantly need to have the heat or air conditioner running) have higher worker productivity and lower sick rates.
Change Bulbs
Lighting eats up 20 percent of the world’s electricity, or the equivalent of roughly 600,000 tons of coal a day. Forty percent of that powers oldfashioned incandescent light bulbs—a 19thcentury technology that wastes most of the power it consumes on unwanted heat.
Compact fluorescent lamps, or CFLs, not only use 75 to 80 percent less electricity than incandescent bulbs to generate the same amount of light, but they also last 10 times longer. Phasing old bulbs out by 2030 would save the output of 650 power plants and avoid the release of 700 million tons of carbon into the atmosphere each year.
Comfort Zone
Water boilers, space heaters and air conditioners have been notoriously inefficient. The heat pump has altered that equation. It removes heat from the air outside or the ground below and uses it to supply heat to a building or its water supply. In the summer the system can be reversed to cool buildings as well.
Most new residential buildings in Sweden are already heated with groundsource heat pumps. Such systems consume almost no conventional fuel at all. Several countries have used subsidies to jumpstart the market, including Japan, where almost 1 million heat pumps have been installed in the past two years to heat water for showers and hot tubs.
Remake Factories
From steel mills to paper factories, industry eats up about a third of the world’s energy. The opportunities to save are vast. In Ludwigshafen, German chemicals giant BASF runs an interconnected complex of more than 200 chemical factories, where heat produced by one chemical process is used to power the next. At the Ludwigshafen site alone, such recycling of heat and energy saves the company 200 million a year and almost half its CO2 emissions. Now BASF is doing the same for new plants in China. “Optimizing（优化）energy efficiency is a decisive competitive advantage,” says BASF CEO Jürgen Hambrecht.
Green Driving
A quarter of the world’s energy—including two thirds of the annual production of oil—is used for transportation. Some savings come free of charge: you can boost fuel efficiency by 6 percent simply by keeping your car’s tires properly inflated (充气). Gasoline-electric hybrid (混合型的) models like the Toyota Prius improve mileage by a further 20 percent over conventional models.
A Better Fridge
More than half of all residential power goes into running household appliances, producing a fifth of the world’s carbon emissions. And that’s true even though manufacturers have already hiked the efficiency of refrigerators and other white goods by as much as 70 percent since the 1980s. According to an International Energy Agency study, if consumers chose those models that would save them the most money over the life of the appliance, they’d cut global residential power consumption (and their utility bills) by 43 percent.
Flexible Payment
Who says you have to pay for all your conservation investments? “Energy service contractors” will pay for retrofitting (翻新改造) in return for a share of the client’s annual utilitybill savings. In Beijing, Shenwu Thermal Energy Technology Co. specializes in retrofitting Chinas steel furnaces. Shenwu puts up the initial investment to install a heat exchanger that preheats the air going into the furnace, slashing the client’s fuel costs. Shenwu pockets a cut of those savings, so both Shenwu and the client profit.
If saving energy is so easy and profitable, why isn’t everyone doing it? It has to do with psychology and a lack of information. Most of us tend to look at today’s price tag more than tomorrow’s potential savings. That holds double for the landlord or developer, who won’t actually see a penny of the savings his investment in better insulation or a better heating system might generate. In many people’s minds, conservation is still associated with selfdenial. Many environmentalists still push that view.
Smart governments can help push the market in the right direction. The EU’s 1994 law on labeling was such a success that it extended the same idea to entire buildings last year. To boost the market value of efficiency, all new buildings are required to have an “energy pass” detailing power and heating consumption. Countries like Japan and Germany have successively tightened building codes, requiring an increase in insulation levels but leaving it up to builders to decide how to meet them.
The most powerful incentives, of course, will come from the market itself. Over the past year, skyhigh fuel prices have focused minds on efficiency like never before. Everincreasing pressure to cut costs has finally forced more companies to do some math on their energy use.
Will it be enough? With global demand and emissions rising so fast, we may not have any choice but to try. Efficient technology is here now, proven and cheap. Compared with all other options, it’s the biggest, easiest and most profitable bang for the buck.
1. What is said to be the best way to conserve energy nowadays?
A) Raising efficiency.
B) Cutting unnecessary costs.
C) Finding alternative resources.
D) Sacrificing some personal comforts.
2. What does the European Union plan to do?
A) Diversify energy supply.
B) Cut energy consumption.
C) Reduce carbon emissions.
D) Raise production efficiency.
3. If you add enough insulation to your house, you may be able to .
A) improve your work environment
B) cut your utility bills by half
C) get rid of air-conditioners
D) enjoy much better health
4. How much of the power consumed by incandescent bulbs is converted into light?
A) A small portion.
B) Some 40 percent
C) Almost half.
D) 75 to 80 percent.
5. Some countries have tried to jumpstart the market of heat pumps by .
A) upgrading the equipment
B) encouraging investments
C) implementing high-tech
D) providing subsidies
6. German chemicals giant BASF saves 200 million a year by .
A) recycling heat and energy
B) setting up factories in China
C) using the newest technology
D) reducing the CO2 emissions of its plants
7. Global residential power consumption can be cut by 43 percent if .
A) we increase the insulation of walls and water pipes
B) we choose simpler models of electrical appliances
C) we cut down on the use of refrigerators and other white goods
D) we choose the most efficient models of refrigerators and other white goods
8. Energy service contractors profit by taking a part of clients’ ______.
9. Many environmentalists maintain the view that conservation has much to do with ______.
10. The strongest incentives for energy conservation will derive from ______.
原文精译
拯救世界的七种方法
赶快摒弃节能是一种克己苦行的旧观念——骑自行车，调暗灯光，少冲淋浴。如今，节约的本质是高效：从少量能源中获取同样、甚至更佳的效用。商务旅行大萧条迫使德国的乌里克·罗莫削减了家庭酒店的成本，更换了酒店的耗能灯泡，而改用节能80%的灯泡。他购置了一台由数字控制抽水机的新锅炉，并用绝缘材料包裹管道。节能措施的总投入约为100,000欧元，然而他的燃料费和电费却从90,000欧元锐减了60,000欧元，此外还有一个意外的收获，酒店的低能耗使每年的二氧化碳排放量随之减少了200多公吨。“对于我们来说，节能非常非常的合算，”他说，“尤为重要的是，我们并未因此而降低客人的住宿质量。”
高效能也有利于减少碳排放量，减缓全球变暖的进程。不过，提高效能的最佳论据是成本——或者更确切地说，是利润，因为日益增长的高能源需求需要巨额的新供应源投入，且不提能源价格上涨的耗竭了。
因此，能源问题攀升到政治议程首位也就不足为奇了。1月10日，欧盟出台了一个方案：到2020年把欧洲大陆的能源消耗降低20%。去年3月份，中国提出到2020年把能效提升20%。甚至德克萨斯州油商出身的布什总统也将在本周的国情咨文中谈论节能问题。
好消息是世界上有很多切实可行、价格便宜的节能方法，以下面7种的影响力最大：
隔热
空间制热和制冷设施吞噬了世界上36%的能源。实际上，在这一方面节能多少并无底限，这一点已经被瑞士和德国的“零耗能”样板房所证实。保持室内温度免受冷气侵入（或保持室内凉爽免受热浪侵袭）的新方法层出不穷。最先进的隔热方法前遵循“收益递增”的法则：如果增加投入，可以少安装、甚至不安装空调装备，如此一来，便可以先于节约用电开支削减成本了。研究表明，在绿色工作环境中，即不需要暖气或空调持续运转的环境，工人的生产力更高，得病率则更低。
换灯泡
照明耗电达20%，相当于每天消耗约600,000吨煤。其中，40%的电能被老式白炽灯泡耗掉了，这项19世纪的技术将大部分的电能转化为无用的热量，造成了浪费。
在发光量相同的情况下，节能日光灯不但可以比白炽灯节电75%－80%，且使用寿命高达10倍。到2030年淘汰老式灯泡将不仅节约650家发电厂的发电量，每年还能减少7000万吨的碳排放量。
舒适空间
众所周知，锅炉、空间制暖设备和空调效能低下。热泵则改变了这一状况，它从室外空气或地下吸取热量，然后用于建筑物或供水加热。反之，夏天时，这个系统可以用于制冷。
瑞典的多数新建居民楼已经使用热泵从地面采暖。这样的系统基本上不消耗任何传统燃料。一些国家已经动用补贴金开发市场，如日本在过去的两年内已经安装了约100万热泵，用于加热洗澡水。
重建工厂
从钢铁厂到造纸厂，工业耗能占世界能源的1/3，节能的空间很大。在德国的路德维希，化学公司巨擘巴斯夫拥有一家由200多个化学工厂组成的综合区，在这里，一种化学工艺产生热能用于下一道工艺上。仅路德维希一个区域，循环利用能源可每年节支2亿欧元，并减少一半的二氧化碳排放量。现在，巴斯夫在中国的新建工厂也采取了同样的方法。“优化能源效用是一项决定性的竞争优势，”巴斯夫总裁Jurgen Hambrecht说。
绿色驾驶
世界能源的1/4——包括石油年产量的2/3——用于交通方面。一些节能手段是免费的：只需把轮胎充足气，便可以节能6%。与传统车型相比，像丰田Prius这样的汽油－电池混合型汽车可将里程数提高20%。
更好的冰箱
家庭用电的一半以上用于家用电器，由此产生的碳排放量占到世界的1/5。尽管制造商自1980年以来已经把冰箱和其他白色家电的能效提高了70%，仍未能改变这种现状。国际能源机构的研究表明，消费者若能选择那些最能省钱的节能电器，可将全球家庭用电量（和电费）降低43%。
灵活付费
谁说你必须自己掏腰包进行节能投资呢？“能源服务合同商”会支付改造费，条件是从客户每年节省下来的电费中分一杯羹。北京神雾热能有限公司是一家专门为中国钢铁锅炉做改造服务的公司。神雾先期投资安装热能交换器，对进入锅炉内的空气预热，此举可助客户节支，神雾亦能从中获利，可谓双方共赢。
如果节能如此简单合算，为什么不是每个人都行动起来了呢？这与心理和信息匮乏有关。多数人往往看重今天的价签，而忽略明天的潜在节支。房东或开发商更是有甚于此，性能好的保温材料或热能系统需要投资，而由此节约下来的钱他们是一个子儿也见不着的。多数人认为，节能仍是一种克己苦行的生活方式，很多环保主义者仍在宣传这种观点。
聪明的政府会对市场发展进行正确引导。欧盟1994年的“标签法”获得巨大成功后，去年将同样的理念用于所有建筑物。为提高效能市值，欧盟要求所有新建楼房要拥有“能源通行证”，详细说明电热消耗。一些国家，如日本和德国，已相继加强建筑法规，要求提高建筑物的隔热标准，但将如何实现这一标准的皮球踢给了建筑商。
当然，最有说服力的刺激措施来自于市场本身。在过去的一年里，油价的飙升让人们的目光前所未有地聚集在能源问题上。日益增长的节支压力迫使更多的公司在能源使用上开始精打细算了。
这样就够了吗？随着全球能源需求和排放量的飞速上涨，除了尝试之外我们已别无他法。目前，我们已具备切实可行、价格便宜的高能效技术。较之别的选择，这个方法最简单易行、获利丰厚、物超所值。
【指点迷津】
为节省时间，考生在做快速阅读时没有必要浏览完全文后再答题，而是应该直接看题干，因为题干中肯定有与原文对应的关键词，考生只需据此找到答案出处，然后对正确选项作出判断或填写正确词语即可。
1. What is said to be the best way to conserve energy nowadays?
A) Raising efficiency.
B) Cutting unnecessary costs.
C) Finding alternative resources.
D) Sacrificing some personal comforts.
1．A)。首先，考生可从题干中的关键词 “conserve energy nowadays” 找到原文第1段的第2句: “These days conservation is all about efficiency: getting the same—or better—results from just a fraction of the energy.” 很显然，nowadays 与these days意思相同，conserve energy =conservation, 考生据此可判断选项A是正确答案，其他选项均与题干无关。
2. What does the European Union plan to do?
A) Diversify energy supply.
B) Cut energy consumption.
C) Reduce carbon emissions.
D) Raise production efficiency.
2．B)。题干中 “European Union plan”是解答此题的关键。考生可在第3段的第2句看到: “ On Jan.10, the European Union unveiled a plan to cut energy use across the continent by 20 percent by 2020.” 选项B中cut energy consumption与原文cut energy use意义是一致的，其余三个选项文中均未提及。
3. If you add enough insulation to your house, you may be able to .
A) improve your work environment
B) cut your utility bills by half
C) get rid of air-conditioners
D) enjoy much better health
3．C)。考生可根据题干中的insulation找到原文第1个小标题，然后再根据关键词add enough找到第4句：“The most advanced insulation follows the law of increasing returns: if you add enough, you can scale down or even eliminate heating and airconditioning equipment, lowering costs even before you start saving on utility bills.” 选项C中的get rid of与原文eliminate正好对应。此题考生易误选B，文中虽提到cut your utility bills，但by half在原文中查无实据，是干扰项。
4. How much of the power consumed by incandescent bulbs is converted into light?
A) A small portion.
B) Some 40 percent
C) Almost half.
D) 75 to 80 percent.
4．A)。incandescent bulbs是此题的关键词，出自原文第2个小标题Changing bulbs中第1段的第2句: “Forty percent of that powers oldfashioned incandescent light bulbs—a 19th –century technology that wastes most of the power it consumes on unwanted heat.” 意思是说，白炽灯把大部分的能量都浪费在无用的热量上了，故能转化成光能的只有一少部分能量。考生要能够读懂题意和原文的含意，不可在慌忙之下选择B。
5. Some countries have tried to jumpstart the market of heat pumps by .
A) upgrading the equipment
B) encouraging investments
C) implementing high-tech
D) providing subsidies
5．D)。根据题干的关键词jumpstart the market可找到原文第3个小标题Comfort Zone的第2段第3句: “Several countries have used subsidies to jumpstart the market, including Japan, where almost 1 million heat pumps have been installed in the past two years to heat water for showers and hot tubs.” 原文中的use subsidies 与选项D的providing subsidies是同义。
6. German chemicals giant BASF saves 200 million a year by .
A) recycling heat and energy
B) setting up factories in China
C) using the newest technology
D) reducing the CO2 emissions of its plants
6．A)。关键词BASF和200 million可以帮助考生迅速找到原文第4个小标题Remake Factories的第4句。 “At the Ludwigshafen site alone, such recycling of heat and energy saves the company 200 million a year and about half its CO2 emissions.” 正确答案显然是选项A。
7. Global residential power consumption can be cut by 43 percent if .
A) we increase the insulation of walls and water pipes
B) we choose simpler models of electrical appliances
C) we cut down on the use of refrigerators and other white goods
D) we choose the most efficient models of refrigerators and other white goods
7．D)。考生应该根据题干中的关键词global residential power consumption 寻找答案出处：第6个小标题A Better Fridge的尾句。 “…if consumers chose those models that would save them the most money over the life of the appliance, they’d cut global residential power consumption (and their utility bills) by 43 percent.” 消费者自然是选择既省钱又高效的家电，选项D符合题意，选项B中的simpler在原文中没有提及，故应排除。
8. Energy service contractors profit by taking a part of clients’ .
8. annual utility-bill savings
关键词energy service contractors出自原文第7个小标题Flexible Payment的第2句。 “Energy service contractors” will pay for retrofitting in return for a share of the client’s annual utilitybill saving. 名词所有格后面要填名词形式，题干中a part of 与原文a share of是同义词组，答案显然是后面的annual utilitybill saving.
9. Many environmentalists maintain the view that conservation has much to do with .
9.Self-denial
Many environmentalists和conservation has much to do with是题干中的关键词，考生可据此找到原文倒数第4段的最后2句。 “In many people’s minds, conservation is still associated with selfdenial.”Has much to do with 和原文is associated with意义相同，故答案为selfdenial.
10. The strongest incentives for energy conservation will derive from .
10.the market itself
题干中的关键词the strongest incentives出现在原文倒数第2段第1句话。“The most powerful incentives, of course, will come from the market itself.” 关键词the strongest incentives与原文the most powerful incentives意思相同，又题干中的短语derive from 与原文中come from正好对应，故答案为the market itself.